We offer the following resources to enhance your study of carbon and climate. Note that the additional resources listed below for a given activity may also be found in the Tools section of that activity.
1: What Is Climate?
2: The Carbon Cycle
3: Is It Only Natural?
4: Climate Time Machine
5: Are You A Bigfoot?
For the Unit as a Whole
Activity 1: What Is Climate?
Books
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Maybaum, Hilary. Climate. Benchmark Education. 2010. Offers a clear and well-illustrated discussion of the factors that determine regional climates and climate change, and comes in two versions for differentiated instruction. Grades 6-12. ISBN: 9781935472919. |
Other Resources
Mapping Forest Change
Forest Change Mapped by Google Earth. BBC News and Environment. A high-resolution global map of forest loss and gain.
Weather Patterns
Weather Underground Historical Weather. A tool for determining the past weather at a particular location and date range.
Activity 2: The Carbon Cycle
CO2 and Climate Change
“All About Carbon Dioxide.” A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An introduction to carbon and the processes involved in the carbon cycle.
Carbon Cycle Video
“Exploring the Carbon Cycle.” Southeastern Forests and Climate Change: A PLT Secondary Education Model. An explanation of the carbon cycle, including carbon pools and fluxes.
Carbon Capture Video
Forest Fact Break: Carbon Capture. Oregon Forest Resources Institute. This 90-second video describes the importance of forests for capturing carbon.
Photosynthesis Video
Forest Fact Break: Photosynthesis. Oregon Forest Resources Institute. This 90-second video explains photosynthesis and the role of forests in the carbon cycle.
Activity 3: Is It Only Natural?
Books
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Hunter, Nick. Science Fights Back: Science Vs. Climate Change. Gareth Stevens Publishing. 2013. Presents the science and the data to explain the climate change issue to students. Grades 4–5. ISBN: 9781433986789. |
Other Resources
Climate Change Evidence
“How Do We Know the Climate Is Changing?” Climate Kids: NASA’s Eyes on the World. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Student-friendly explanations of the evidence for climate change.
CO2 Past, Present & Future
CO2.Earth. A source for past, present, and future carbon dioxide data and projections.
Data on CO2 Emissions
Carbon Dioxide: Projected Emissions and Concentration. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Data on recent increases and projected changes in CO2 emissions.
Greenhouse Gases
Overview of Greenhouse Gases. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Data on CO2 emissions by source.
Lines of Evidence Video Series
Climate Change: Lines of Evidence. The National Research Council. This 7-chapter video series explains how scientists have arrived at the current state of knowledge about climate change and its causes. Chapter 6: Solar Influences and Chapter 7: Natural Cycles explore alternative explanations.
Mauna Loa Data on Atmospheric CO2
Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Recent data from Mauna Loa Observatory.
Science Investigations: Causes of Climate Change
Climate Science Investigations: Causes of Climate Change. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). An explanation of some of the natural causes of climate change.
Student Guide to Climate Change
A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). General information about climate and causes of climate change, including data to examine.
Supercontinent Pangaea
Move the Continents. Cornell University. On this interactive website, students can move the continents to show the former supercontinent, Pangaea, and then back to the modern configuration again.
Activity 4: Climate Time Machine
Books
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Constible, Juanita, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee, Jr. Climate Change from Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations. National Science Teachers Association. 2008. Biology-based case studies, background information, and activities on effects of climate change. Adult. ISBN: 9781933531236 |
Great Lakes Resources
All About The Great Lakes
Formation of the Great Lakes. University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Information about how the the Great Lakes were formed, and on their current depth, shoreline attributes, temperature and more.
Ancient Glaciers of Illinois
Build Illinois: The Last 500 Million Years. Illinois State Geological Survey. An imaginary trip back in time to see how the landscape of Illinois was formed.
EPA Atlas of The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Information and data about the Great Lakes over time and issues facing them today.
Film: Rise and Fall of The Great Lakes
The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes. National Film Board Council [Canada]. This classic 16-minute film shows a lone canoeist living through the changes of the Great Lakes, only to find himself trapped in a sea of scum.
Formation of the Great Lakes Video
Great Lakes. Detroit Public TV. An overview of the Great Lakes region, with an explanation of their formation.
Maps of Our Great Lakes
About Our Great Lakes: Lake by Lake Profiles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Maps and other information about the Great Lakes.
Other Resources
Citizen Scientists Network
Project BudBurst. A national network of citizen scientists monitoring plants as the seasons and climates change.
Explore Earth’s History
EarthViewer. BioInteractive. An interactive tool for exploring Earth’s deep history, including changes in atmospheric composition, temperature, day length, and solar luminosity.
The Ice Age
The Great Ice Age. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior. A description of the forces that caused the Great Ice Age of the Pleistocene Epoch, as well as how it influenced Earth’s environment.
What Causes an Ice Age?
Periodic Ice Age. Science Channel. Brief explanation of the periodic ice ages due to orbital variations of the Earth.
Activity 5: Are You a Bigfoot?
Books
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Townsend, John. Predicting the Effects of Climate Change (Why Science Matters). Heinemann. 2009. A concise overview of our changing climate, providing students with a good scientific basis for why it should concern them. Grades 6-9. ISBN: 9781432918392. |
Carbon Calculators
Carbon Footprint Challenge
International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge. I2SEA.
Compare your Carbon Footprint
Carbon Calculator Activity. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Household Carbon Footprint
Household Carbon Footprint Calculator. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Films
Documentary on Climate Change Impacts
Chasing Ice. With stunning footage of the Arctic, photographer James Balog provides visual evidence of the impacts of climate change in this 75-minute documentary.
Human Impacts of Climate Change
Sun Come Up. New Day Films. Showing the human face of climate change, this 39-minute film follows the relocation of Carteret Islanders as rising seas swallow their ancestral lands.
Imagine the World Without Fish
A Sea Change. This 83-minute film explores how burning fossil fuels is changing the pH balance of the oceans and threatening the world’s fisheries.
Politics of Climate Change
Climate Refugees. This 88-minute film depicts some of the enormous consequences of climate change and explores its destabilizing effects on individuals as well as international politics.
Solutions to Climate Change
Carbon Nation. Arizona State University. With an optimistic view of what people are doing to address climate change, this 82-minute film explores how solutions to climate change also address other social, economic and national security issues.
Other Resources
Carbon Off-Sets
Carbon Fund. A nonprofit organization that provides a means to “off-set” carbon emissions through donations.
Climate Impacts by Region
Climate Change Impacts by State U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A description of the expected impacts of climate change by region.
Climate Assessment Report
Our Changing Climate. National Climate Assessment. In-depth look at climate change impacts on the United States, including how it is already affecting and will increasingly affect the lives of Americans.
Estimate Your Carbon Emissions
Global Warming Wheel Card. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A hand‐held tool for estimating carbon dioxide emissions.
Starting a Climate-related Community Project
Planet Stewards. The National Ocean Service (NOS). Information on how educators can implement an environmental stewardship community project with their students.
For the Unit as a Whole
Books
Note: All books included here are from the “NSTA Recommends” list of science trade books.
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Bang, Molly and Penny Chisholm. Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth. Blue Sky Press. 2014. A focus on fossil fuels: their origins, uses, and environmental implications. Lavish illustrations include a ‘The Cycle of Life’ illustration of the carbon cycle. Grades K–4. ISBN: 9780545577854. |
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Cherry, Lynn and Gary Braasch. How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming. Dawn Publications. 2008. Information about climate change told in an age-appropriate manner with the hopeful message that kids can make a difference. Grades 5+. ISBN: 9781584691037. |
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Desonie, Dana, Ph.D. Climate: Causes and Effects of Climate Change. Chelsea House. 2008. Focusing on how climate works and on the natural and human causes of climate change, explains how scientists learn about the past and present climate and how scientists predict future climate change. Grades 6–12. ISBN: 9780816062140. |
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Johnson, Rebecca L. Investigating Climate Change: Scientists’ Search for Answers in a Warming World. Lerner Publications. 2008. Conveys basic information for understanding climate change, including how we know the things we know. Grades 6–12. ISBN: 9780822567929. |
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McCutcheon, Chuck. What Are Global Warming and Climate Change? Answers for Young Readers. University of New Mexico Press. 2010. A question-and-answer format covers a wide range of information about the causes and effects of climate changes, as well as proposed intervention strategies. Grades 4–12. ISBN: 9780826347459. |
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Simon, Seymour. Global Warming. Harper Collins. 2010. A photo essay and accompanying text that examine global warming. Grades 3–8. ISBN: 9780061142505. |
Other Resources
Climate Change Signs
Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Facts, articles, and other resources on climate change.
Climate Literacy
Teaching Climate Literacy. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Digital resources on causes and climate change impacts in the United States. U.S. National Climate Assessment. 2014.
Guide to Climate Change
A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). General information about climate and causes of climate change, including data to examine.
Impacts on U.S.
Climate Change Impacts in the United States. U.S. National Climate Assessment. 2014. A meticulously prepared summary of the the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future.
Impacts on World
Climate Kids: NASA’s Eyes on the World. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Information and kid-friendly graphics related to climate change.
Intergovernmental Reports and Guidelines
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Reports and other information from the leading international body for the assessment of climate change.
